Top 5 exhibitions to catch in early 2019

Yeoh Choo Kuan - Streaming Mountain Richard Koh Fine Art, KL (Jan 10-30)

Kuala Lumpur-based yeoh Choo Kuan’s streaming Mountain is his third solo exhibition with the gallery. He draws on his childhood memories of illustrations in a book called the Diyu (realm of the dead of “hell” in Chinese mythology) and combines this with the aesthetics of traditional Chinese landscapes depicting shan shui (mountain and stream) in these monochromatic works on canvas.

Axis By Praxis G13 Gallery, Petaling Jaya (Jan 12-26)

If there is off-centre newcomer artist Ho Mei Kei in a group show, it is already worth a mention. she’s a star on the rise. axis By Praxis features five emerging talents from south-east asia: nik Mohd shazmie and Ho from Malaysia, natisa Jones from Indonesia, anchalee arayapongpanich and Kittisak Thapkoa from Thailand. What is an emerging artist from the region concerned about? Here are five voices presenting their take on the dynamics of identity within the context of tradition, culture and history, with a bit of media experimentation thrown into the mix.

Foo May Lyn - 10,000 Mosquito Hearts Our ArtProjects (Jan 27-Feb 17)

you always find the real gems in the smaller private galleries. Foo May Lyn’s 10,000 Mosquito Hearts looks to be an interesting proposition. Curated by sharon Chin, this is Penang-based Kuala Lumpur-born artist/actress/jewellery-maker Foo’s first solo show in KL. Featuring intricate works on paper, textiles and soft sculpture, the artist, who had long stints living in London and Paris, weaves myth, personal journey and current affairs into a contemporary epic. People in Penang will know Foo as the person who runs Chop Kongsi, an atelier/workspace.

Paralogical Machines: Where Images Meet Us In Time And Space

Wei-Ling Contemporary, KL (Jan 10-Feb 17) Wei-Ling Contemporary is the sort of gallery that does group shows differently. There is always the curation that goes the extra mile. Gathering some of europe and south-east asian’s leading media artists, including Charles Lim, erika Tan, Kenneth Feinstein, rajinder singh and Tintin Wulia, Paralogical Machines: Where Images Meet us In Time and space promises to raise more questions than it answers. The works encourage conversation and thought on how context changes experience and how we perceive the world around us.

Chia Yu Chian: Private Lives Ilham Gallery, KL (Feb 16 to June 15)

If you want archival shows, Ilham Gallery is the place. Chia yu Chian, born in 1936 in Johor, was the first artist from Malaysia and singapore to receive a scholarship from the French government to study art at the ecole nationale supériere des Beaux-arts in Paris. He created more than 5,000 pieces of art during his lifetime as he never stopped painting until his death. In Private Lives, the presence of the human figure is central to this collection of paintings, which span over a decade of Chia’s life from the late 1970s until his passing in 1991. unlike the still life and streetscapes of his younger days, Private Lives zooms in on social drama and the quieter slice-of-life moments. The last major exhibition to feature Chia’s artwork posthumously was in singapore in 2009. Last year, the Chia yu Chian enlivened exhibition was held in KL, sparking renewed mainstream interest in this Malaysian pioneer’s work.